Heatwaves and Sex

How is this year’s heat wave likely to affect our sex lives?

Some days I feel the blood pumping and it gets me in the mood, but other days, the heat is too much.

My hair feels heavy against my skin, my skin hates being touched, my tummy feels uncomfortable from not drinking enough water, my head hurts and I simply do not feel sexy.

More importantly, my v*gina feels dry and the pains I feel around my menstrual cycle are worse in heat waves.

With coastal humidity and high heat, comes excess sweating, irritability and sensitive skin that may not always be in the mood for physical contact.

Drier cities with sharper heat bring their own share of respiratory distress, nosebleeds and dry cracked lips. It’s a lot and it can get to everyone.

As serotonin levels rise, dopamine levels drop and blood pressure shoots up, we’re likely to experience headaches, irritability, dizziness, disorientation and changes in your appetite.

And our libidos? Well, that’s an unpredictable mess too.

Testosterone levels fall, erections may take longer to rise or last for shorter periods of time, vaginas may feel dry, and it may take a little longer than usual to get in the mood or stay in it.

With changes in moods, energy levels and blood circulation, it’s normal to experience a loss in libido, or even more frustratingly— an increase in mental arousal with a body that can’t keep up with it.

When the range of reactions to heat can be this wide, what are some of the things you need to look out for to take care of your sexual health through these heat waves?

UTI

If you are experiencing pelvic discomfort in this heat, check your water intake to make sure your bladder is okay.

Between increased sweat around the genital region, increased bacterial activity in warm temperatures and concentrated urine from dehydration, our urinary tracts may be at risk of more UTIs. 

Your body may not be able to flush out excess bacteria fast enough to prevent an infection. This could leave your pen!s vulnerable to UTIs from bacterial activity within your urethra.

VAGINAL DRYNESS

While many of us do not necessarily produce consistent amounts of lubrication and would require the use of lubes during sexual play anyway, it’s important to remember that summers may leave you feeling drier and more distressed.

This could increase your chances of friction burns and microcuts that make sex more uncomfortable or leave you more vulnerable to infection or injury.

SEMEN & ERECTIONS

Your ejaculate may be thicker, whiter or clumpier. If this change in consistency isn’t accompanied by pain or discolouration, you have nothing to worry about.

Dips in testosterone levels and changes in your blood circulation may also make it take longer for you to get erect or get as hard as you usually do. But whose body performs the exact same way through every day and every month of the year anyway?

ANAL INJURIES

Excess loss of water could also lead to constipation, and that can leave you with minor cuts in the anal sphincter and anal canal.

This could make anal play more painful or even leave you more vulnerable to infections. Make sure to lube up generously, take it slow, use latex barriers and make sure to eat foods rich in fibre to keep an eye on your gut health.

HOW DO YOU COPE?

Crack open a window and let your space ventilate, or turn up the fan speed or turn on the AC.  Hop in for a shower together, incorporate cooling lubes or ice cubes in your sex life and experiment getting sexual at different times of the day.

Lie on tiled floors to avoid feeling warm fabrics against your bodies and see where the session takes you as your body cools down and explores sex more calmly.